Congress Talks About Tax Cuts. What They Really Mean are Cuts to Crucial Programs for Victims and Survivors!

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW

Congress will soon consider the so-called 'Tax Cuts and Jobs Act' (TCJA) bill to 'simplify' the tax code. Sounds good, right? What they are not telling you is that, according to both the Tax Policy Center and the Center for Budget Policy Priorities' analyses, the benefits accrue mainly to the very wealthy and to corporations and will not lead to the job and wage growth the authors are claiming. Many low-and-middle income victims and survivors of domestic and dating violence will face new obstacles to financial safety-higher taxes that will leave them less money to establish financial independence and cuts to vital services.

Background

The TCJA:

Significantly decreases federal revenue will translate into steep cuts to discretionary funding. This includes programs such as VAWA, FVPSA, housing, etc. upon which victims and survivors rely;

Massively cuts taxes for corporations and the very wealthy while increasing taxes for 13 million families making less than $200,000 annually in 2019. By 2027, taxes would increase for 35-38 million families making less than $200,000 annually;

Increases the deficit by an estimated $1.3 - $1.5 trillion over the next decade;

Makes it harder for victims and survivors to access self-sufficiency through education and for advocates to pay off their student loansby eliminating the student loan deduction;

Potentially eliminates the Affordable Care Act individual mandate, which is expected to leave 13 million Americans uninsured and raise the average insurance rate by 10%, even with the inclusion of funding intended to stabilize the market; and

Leads to a ripple effect in which states have to cut their funding social services, education, healthcare and other programs, because the increased federal tax burden will require states to cut taxes so low-and-middle-income families can make ends meet.

Please contact Jody Rabhan at the National Council of Jewish Women at jody@ncjwdc.org for more information.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

Contact your Members of Congress and tell them to protect survivors' safety and vote NO on the TCJA!!! You can find your Senators and their contact information here and their Twitter handles here. You can find your Representative and his/her contact information here and his/her Twitter handle here.

OR, use Democracy.io, an easy-to-use "free speech" tool that lets you instantly send your message to your Members of Congress. This free service is from the Electronic Frontier Foundation; neither Democracy.io nor the EFF is affiliated with NCADV.

See below for sample scripts, emails/faxes, and social media posts.

Sample phone script:

My name is [your name], and I am a constituent calling from [your city and, if applicable, organization]. I am calling to urge [Member's name] to vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This regressive bill would make it impossibly difficult for survivors of domestic and dating violence to establish financial independence. The bill would raise taxes on many low-and-middle income families (which would significantly impact survivors, as well as the advocates who serve them) to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Any job and wage growth is anticipated to be minimal and will not offset the cost of the tax cut. Decreased federal revenue will lead to cuts to economic supports victims and survivors rely on to gain self-sufficiency and will translate into cuts to discretionary spending across the board, including cuts to VAWA and FVPSA. I oppose tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations on the backs of victims and survivors of domestic violence, and I urge [Member's name] to do so as well by voting no on the tax bill.

Sample Facebook Post:

I am a constituent, and I oppose the 'Tax Cuts and Jobs Act', which cuts taxes for wealthy people and corporations on the backs of low-and-middle-income families and victims and survivors of domestic violence. Due to decreased revenue, this regressive bill will translate into cuts to other programs on which victims and survivors rely, including VAWA, FVPSA, housing supports, and a number of economic supports that allow survivors to regain self-sufficiency. This legislation will enrich the already wealthy and large corporations at the expense of hardworking low-and-middle-income Americans and victims of domestic violence. I urge you to OPPOSE this bill!

Sample Tweet (280 characters):

[Member's twitter handle] The #TaxPlan will further enrich the already wealthy and large corporations while leading to cuts in services that victims and survivors of domestic violence rely on such as #VAWA, #FVPSA, #housing and #healthcare. As a constituent I say #VoteNo!

Sample Email/Fax:

Dear [Member's name],

My name is [your name], and I am a constituent from [city and, if applicable, program]. I am writing today to express my strong opposition to the 'Tax Cuts and Jobs Act', which primarily benefits the wealth and corporations while harming victims and survivors of domestic violence and other crimes. This regressive bill would raise taxes on many low-and-middle income families, balloon the deficit, and any job and wage growth is anticipated to be minimal. Decreased federal revenue will lead to cuts to economic supports victims and survivors rely on to gain self-sufficiency and will translate into cuts to discretionary spending across the board, most likely including cuts to VAWA and FVPSA. I oppose tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations on the backs of victims and survivors of domestic violence, and I urge you to do so as well by voting no on the tax bill.